62. The total number of live births registered again showed an increase, but the crude live-birth rate fell slightly as did the crude death rate. There was a natural increase of 95,515 persons, the highest ever recorded.
63. The mortality pattern continued to show the same trends observed during previous years, namely, decreasing mortality from the com- municable diseases and increase in deaths from diseases of later life, particularly neoplasms and cerebro-vascular disorders. An analysis of mortality for the years 1959-63 can be found in Appendix 4.
TABLE 5
INFANTILE AND MATERNAL. MORTALITY 1959–63
Yeur
1959
d
1960
1961
1962
1963
Infantile Mortality Neo-natal Mortality
Maternal Mortality
rate (per 1,000
vate (per 1,000
rate (per 1,000
[ive births)
dive births)
roral births)
48.3
21.3
0.73
41.5
20.9
0.40
37.7
21.0
0,45
36.9
21.2
0.48
32.9
18.9
0.29
64. Table 5 shows the continuation of recent downward trends in infantile and maternity mortality. A notable point is the fall in neo-natal mortality, which had remained comparatively stationary for the previous four years.
65. An analysis of maternal mortality over the past 5 years is shown in Table 6. Toxaemias and haemorrhages of pregnancy were the principle fatal complications, although there have been marked reductions in death from these causes during recent years.
TABLE 6
ANALYSIS OF MATERNAL MORTALITY 1959-63 (per 1,000 total births)
Sepsis
Year
septic
(excluding Toxaemias Haemorrhages
Abortions
Ectopic Pregnancies
Others
abortions)
1959
INJA
.340
226
,028
.066
.056
1960
010
.179
.145
.045
.072
045
1961
KL
.09
.027
.036
.027
.072
1962
018
.141
183
.026
044
062
www
1963
.017
.077
.111
2009
.034
051
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פנאט,
Urban Areas
DIL WORK OF THE HEALTH DIVISION
HYGIENE AND SANITATION
66. The Urban Council is responsible through the Urban Services Department for environmental sanitation in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon. The Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services, in his capacity of Vice-Chairman of the Urban Council, is the co-ordinat- ing link between the two Departments for the control of communicable diseases by means of environmental sanitation, food hygiene and pest control. Medical and Health Officers are seconded as Health Officers to the Urban Services Department from the Medical and Health Depart- ment and work under the direction of an Assistant Director of Medical and Health Services who is posted to the Urban Services Department as Assistant Director, Hygiene. He is responsible for the guidance of the Health Inspectorate in particular and for advice to the Urban Services Department as a whole on the day-to-day management of environmental health problems.
67. Health Officers in the urban areas, in addition to their duties connected with the maintenance of satisfactory standards of environ- mental sanitation and food hygiene, are responsible for the co-ordination of all epidemiological measures to control the transmission of infectious discases. Exceptions are tuberculosis, venereal disease, leprosy and malaria, which are the concern of specialized branches of the Medical and Health Department. Through the media of routine house inspections and regular visits to licensed food premises carried out by the Health Inspectorate, much health education is possible in connexion with im- munization campaigns and with the control of intestinal infections. With the assistance of qualified Health Visitors, the Health Officers maintain investigations into the known cases of diphtheria, tetanus nconatorum, poliomyelitis, typhoid and certain other diseases.
68. These activities are closely co-ordinated with the activities of teams of inoculators from the Epidemiological Section of the Medical and Health Department, working under the direction of the Assistant Director of Medical and Health Services (Health) through area Health Officers and offering prophylactic immunization agains! smallpox, diphtheria, cholera, enteric fever and poliomyelitis.
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